Eyes Open
by abby1386
Summary: Told from the eyes of Peeta Mellark, starting with his first day of school, until the day he's chosen as a tribute in the Hunger Games. Including memories from his childhood, references to abuse from his mother.


**Hey guys, so this is my first fanfic, but im just trying things out, so if you guys see something that I could change maybe just leave a comment? I can always improve. Oh and let me know if you like it! :)**

(_Peetas P.O.V)_

When I woke up that morning I was more nervous that I ever had been. It was my very first day of school. My brothers were much older than me, so starting school again this year was no big deal for them.

My brothers were already on their way out the door, not bothering to wait for me. So my father decided to walk to me to school. As we walk on to the school ground my father and I take a seat on a nearby bench. "Look over there." My father barley even whispered. He turned me around and pointed to a beautiful lady with a daughter who was as radiant as the sun.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"That's Katniss Everdeen." He sighed. "And that is her mother. Beautiful aren't they?"

I didn't know how to describe her, but she was so much more than beautiful.

"I grew up with her mother. I swore I was going to marry her one day. But she ran off with a coal miner."

"Why would she do that?" I questioned. "Well you see that's where things get complicated. She was very clearly in love with . There was no denying that. He was your basic member of District 12, had no more money than the rest of us. But had one unbelievable quality. When he would sing, the birds would stop and listen. He had a beautiful voice, and that ultimately sealed the deal. He was the only one for her…" He sighed, and as I turned around to look back at my father I saw the smallest little tear roll down his cheek.

Later that day, during our music class, the teacher asked if anyone knew the valley song. Of course only one person in the whole class knew it. Miss Katniss Everdeen. She walked up to the front of the room like she had done it a million times before, and started to sing. The birds outside stopped, dead in their tracks. Katniss had a voice of gold, the voice of an angel. She was beautiful, and she was all I wanted. And I knew in that moment, that I was in love with Katniss Everdeen.

Every afternoon from that day on, for years, I would watch Katniss through crystal eyes. I would watch her walk home with her mother after school, I would watch her during our classes, I would even watch her in the town square if I ever saw her passing by the bakery. She sang almost every day for our class, for weeks. And those 3 little minutes were the best 3 minutes of my days.

I was 11, I had started working in the bakery a year ago. Baking was really my only job, cookies, cakes, and bread. That was it, day after day.

I was in the bakery, the whole family was in our very small kitchen. So I handed my duties over to my brother and went back up to my room. Sitting in my room I could still hear my mother yelling at my brothers, asking where I went and why they let me leave. I loved my mother for obvious reasons, but she was not a very kind soul. She was very violent and didn't show me any affection. Ever.

I left the house, and as I was walking to my back porch I saw her, Katniss. She had stopped coming to school shortly after her father died. I'm sure nobody but me noticed she was missing. Aside from her singing in music class she was very quiet and didn't have many friends. She was sitting under a tree in the small garden we had behind the bakery. Soaking wet, and shivering, with deep black circles under her eyes. She looked awful.

I was almost positive that she had seen me, but I went back to the kitchen either way. I took over for my brothers, told them that I just needed some air. They, of course, did not care. They were about to make bread for dinner tonight, but I had other plans for this bread.

As I was sliding the bread into the over my mother walked behind me. I backed up into her in dropped the bread into the open flame, burning the outsides of both loaves. By the time i got them out of the oven my mother was already standing over me yelling so furiously I could have sworn I saw the windows shaking.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She shrieked.

I was terrified, I never heard my mother yelling like this. I struggled to find the right words but I couldn't come up with anything.

"Are you going to answer me?! What were you doing?!"

"I – I don't know mum, I'm sorry I just-"

My words were cut off by the unbelievable pain that suddenly ran through my head. She had hit me, with a rolling pin, right across my face. I could already feel the swelling, and a pounding headache in the making.

"Take them outside and give them to the pigs. No one's going to want burned bread, Peeta!"

She shoved me outside in the rain, expecting me to give the bread to the pigs. But I had no intentions on giving this bread to the pigs. Thankfully Katniss was still there. My mother didn't follow me outside, I didn't think she would. It must have started to rain the moment I walked inside, because it was pouring buckets now. She was lying under the tree now, with her jacket covering almost her whole body. I just wanted her to be safe in my arms. I wanted to tell her that I love her. Tell her that she is now and always has been my everything. But of course, she had never spoken to me in her entire life. And probably didn't even know my name. I swear she read my mind, because as soon as I started thinking about her, she sat up.

Running over to her, kissing her, holding her, keeping her warm and safe, and being able to call her mine. Those were the only things I could think about. I split one loaf in half, to see if the inside was as burned as the outside. The insides were perfect, golden brown still hot. Perfect. She sat up straighter as I got closer and closer to the end of the porch. Passing the pigs I walked to the middle of the back yard. Looking at her, wanting nothing more then her to be in my arms, and threw the bread to her.

The emotions I saw cross her face was unbelievable, mostly shock, but hope, and happiness. I saw the slightest smile spread across her face as she climbed up off the ground and grabbed the bread. She put on her jacket, which was miles too big for her, and zipped the bread up inside of it. Before she left my yard she looked back at me and gave me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. Her clothes may have been to big, and she may have been soaking wet, but she was still beautiful. She still shone as brilliant as the sun, and more beautiful than ever.

Watching Katniss walk away I slowly backed up into my house. My mother had gone upstairs, so it was just my father and I in the kitchen.

"You gave the bread to Katniss, didn't you?" he whispered.

" I don't know what you're talking about" I replied as I turned around to walk out of the kitchen.

As I was about the read the stairs my father grabbed my shoulders and dragged me back into the kitchen, as far away from the stairs as we could possibly get.

"I don't care that you gave it to her, I'm actually glad you did. But if your mother finds out, she will kill you. She's already furious with you, and I'm sorry. But Peeta, you need to learn to be more careful around your mother. You need to watch what you say and what you do. She has very little patience." my father explained.

"She hates me. I know she does. She wanted a daughter, not me. It's not hard to tell, dad. She loves my brothers to the moon and back and shows them all the affection in the world. But me? I cant remember the last time she gave me a hug or even said goodnight. She's only ever hated me. I just-" I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth in my own words. She hated me. She hated everything about me, and there was nothing I could do about it. I eventually found my way into my fathers arms, and just cried.

I guessed that the sky had cleared up shortly after Katniss left, because the ground was almost completely dry and the sun was shining a brilliant bright yellow.

"Let's walk." My father said with a big smile on his face.

Our walk was very silent, aside from my occasional sobs and coughs. We walked for at least 15 minutes until we reached the top of a small road that was all to familiar. I hadn't realized that we walked right through the Seam, and were now standing just a few yards away from Katniss Everdeens' house. I could smell the burning wood coming from inside her home, and I could have sworn I saw her looking out the window.

"Wh - Why are we here?" I stuttered.

"Well Peeta, there's a place over here. A place that I used to go as a child. I used to bring Katniss' mother out here all the time, and I think its time that I share all of this with you."

I was so confused, where could my father mean? All that was around here was Katniss' house, the field, and the electric fence the surrounds all of District 12. We walked slowly past her house, through the field and right to the far end of the fence. I noticed a hole in the fence and automatically knew what was next.

"You wanna go?" My father questioned.

"Isn't it electric?" I asked.

"Almost never. Since we are the, for lack of a better word, poorest district, we very rarely have electricity. 2 or 3 hours a day maybe." he beamed.

"Uh, if you say so. You first." I sighed.

The moment I was on the other side of the fence, outside of district 12, i felt free. More free than i had ever felt in my entire life. Yet at the same time I was terrified, Terrified that at any moment a Capitol aircraft could come by and capture both my father and I. Never to be heard from again. Slaves of the capitol. My father would probably be killed, but I wouldn't have such luck. I would be turned into an Avox, forced to become a slave for anyone who ordered me.

My father started to explain where and why he was taking me here, over the fence, farther away from District 12 with every step. "Over the hills there's a lake. It's probably the most beautiful place I've ever been. I used to bring her here all the time, Alyssa Everdeen, this is where I knew I was in love with her."

The words practically flew out of my mouth, "You still love her, don't you? You would still drop everything just to be with her. It wasn't just a crush that you had on her, dad. She was and is your only true love." I was stunned. I didn't believe that I actually just said that.

When I looked over at my father he was crying. I realized that everything I had just said was so unbelievably true. My father hugged me, held on to me for what seemed like hours. It was nice to feel safe for once, my mother would never do something like this with me. He kept his arm around me for the rest of the walk to the lake.

He didn't lie to me. The lake was absolutely beautiful. There was a small shelter made completely of cement, and a small makeshift bench mad of a log and some rocks. My father took me over to the bench and we just sat there, looking out over the lake.

"Peeta, you have to understand that I love your mother. I really do. But if Alyssa did ever decide to come back to me-" He was crying again. "I would choose her." He began to cry again, which very quickly turned into sobbing. I got up from the bench and walked down to the waters edge. I'd never been to a lake before. We had nothing like this in District 12. I didn't even know how to swim. I've never even had a real bath. The closest I ever had to a bath would be dumping a bucket of boiled water over my head in the back yard. We very rarely had nice soap, normally we just had some nice remedies that would trade with my father.

It was getting darker and my father and I were still at the lake. He was still crying, I could see that. But I could no longer hear him, so I guessed he was getting tired. I'd never seen my father like this before. He never struck me as someone who cried. Slowly, I started to make my way back to my father. I hated this, seeing him doubled over in sadness. I just wanted to sit there and cry with him. But I knew that would just make everything worse.

Just then, I heard it. It was like my worst nightmare. The Capitol aircraft.

"Dad! Run! Dad!" I shrieked.

"Peeta!" He screamed as an arrow landed less than a foot away from me.

There was more shrieking and yelling as we kept on running. Getting closer and closer to the cover of the trees. But still at least 100 yards away. More and more arrows came showing down on us, getting closer and closer to our bodies with every shot.

Once we got under the cover of the trees the arrows slowed down. Less accurate shots by the Capitol spared valuable seconds of our lives. We kept running, up over the hill, through the trees, and finally under the fence back into District 12. What are the chances that my first time leaving the district both me and my father would be caught by the capitol and almost killed. I couldn't imagine ever leaving the district again. We ran through the field until we reached Katniss' house. Once the aircraft was gone, we began to calm down. It was dark now, so it would have been almost impossible for them to shoot with any accuracy.

"Dad, what the hell was that?" I barley managed to gasp.

"Well, Peeta, that was the Capitol. Trying to kill us. And we're not going to tell anyone about it." he said.

"We're gonna get in trouble aren't we? The peace keepers are gonna come and take away the bakery and kill the whole family and them turn me into and avox and -" I didn't realize that I was actually in hysterics sitting on the side of the road.

"Peeta! Calm down, you're fine. Nothing is going to happen. There's no peace keepers, no ones dying and no one is going to be turned into an avox. Just settle down."

I calmed down enough to breathe properly, and we slowly walked home. I guess right now was one of the few hours of the day that our district had electricity, because what few houses had electric lights, were lit up. I assumed that once they got back to the Capitol that they would turn the electricity on to prevent us from leaving again.

Thankfully, by the time we got home my brothers were already in bed, so we didn't have to worry about them. But my mother was still awake, and waiting. Sitting in the same corner of the bakery my father and I were in just a few hours ago, was my mother. She looked up from her book and didn't even say hello.

"Where did you two go? Didn't even bother to come and say good-bye? Do you know how worried I was?" Ran right past me and over to my father to give him a hug.

"We just went for a walk." My father said calmly. "A little father-son time."

"Ah, I see." She sighed. "Well I'm off to bed. Goodnight love." And then gave my father a kiss.

I knew what I was about to do was definitely the wrong decision.

"Uh, Mom?" I said louder then I expected it to be.

"Peeta, what did I just say? I'm going to bed and I don't want to be disturbed. Good bye."

"Mom come back here!" I yelled.

"Peeta Mellark, you know the rules about yelling in this house. Yelling is not to be tolerated, especially from you. I will see-"

"Why especially not from me? Is it because I'm the youngest? Or is it because you don't like me? Mom, I'm not an idiot. I know you don't like me. I doubt that you even love me. You've never one shown me any love or respect or affection. You're not like the other mothers, you never walk me to school, you never say goodnight to me, you never even talk to me unless you're giving me orders. Mom, I've always loved you and I always will. But you've ruined me." I couldn't believe that I had the strength to say all of that.

"Peeta Mellark, who gave you the permission to speak to me like that? No one. I will see you tomorrow. You filthy child." She snapped.

As she was walking up the stairs I felt a rainbow of emotions. I was angry at her for being the worst mother I could ever ask for, but I was absouloutley heart broken and upset because of what she just said and me proving that all my thoughts about her were correct. She was the worst mother to me, I'd be better off in a group home in the seam. At least someone there might love me.

I hoped to got my father didn't hate me for this. He wasn't the type of person to hate someone, or hold a grudge. But if he had some unbelievable power of hate anywhere in him, I knew that it would be just my luck that he would hate me from now on, and that I would be forever forced to fend for myself in this awful place I called home.

I slowly turned around and looked my father in the eye.

"Dad. Please don't hate me." I tried to say. My voice cracked as I began to cry.

"Peeta, I would never hate you. No matter what you did." He sighed as he crossed the room and wraped me up in his arms.

He carried me up the stairs as I began to cry harder. Carrying into my room, and laying down in my bed with me. That was all I needed. I needed to feel safe. I knew that I could no long count on my mother for any protection, all thought I don't think I ever could.

When I woke up the next morning I had a pounding headache, yesterday was probably the worst day of my life so far. I sat up and saw my father sitting in the chair in the corner of my room. Reading an old book that he used to read to me as a child. It seemed kind of silly for him to be reading it now, it had been so long since he read it to me, I had grown out of it.

"Hi." I said as I sat up and rubbed my face.

"Hey son." He smiled.

My father was a handsome man, I knew that, but I had never realized that his teeth were perfectly straight and almost completely white.

"What time is it?" I questioned.

"Almost noon." He said. "You want breakfast?" But before I could answer he was half way out the door headed towards the kitchen.

I slowly climbed out of bed, the memories of last night still vivid, and unfortunately the only thing I could think about. Seeing my mother today was going to be far beyond awkward or upsetting, and I'm sure my brothers already knew, my mother was never good at keeping things from them.

Walking into the kitchen I could see my father standing over the stove, and I could smell the bacon cooking. We didn't normally eat the bacon we had, it was saved mostly for birthdays or special occasions. But I guess today was an exception to the rule according to my father.

"Smells great dad." I said. I wasn't sure if he had heard me come into the kitchen.

"Hey Peeta." He said as he turned around and dropped the food onto the two plates he has set at the table.

The look I gave him must have been unpleasant or upsetting, because his next remark startled me.

"Would you like to eat alone? I can go if you'd like." He sighed.

"Oh dad, of course not. Breakfast isn't the same without someone to enjoy it with." I said confidently.

We sat down and ate mostly in silence, I couldn't stop worrying about mom walking into the kitchen. Seeing us here, seeing me. Would she be angry? I wonder if she was even a little bit upset last night. I wonder how long she hated me for. Probably my entire life, from the minute I was born. I didn't have any childhood memories with my mother. I could only remember things with my father. The first time I saw Katniss Everdeen, I was with my father. The first time I drank orange juice, I was with my father. The first time I met the mayor and his daughter, I was with my father. Leaving the district for the first time was also with my father. Years of my life that my mother had missed out on. She'd always been around, but never in my life, or even trying to be in my life.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Peeta?" He replied.

"Did you know mom hated me?" I questioned. I was half afraid to get my answer because I knew, that if he said yes, I would be absouloutley distraught.

"Well son, that's a confusing question. I'm not going to lie to you here and I don't want you to hate me. Please son. I can't have you living here and hating both of your parents. You not having someone to come to. I need you. Okay?" I could tell that he really meant it, he looked as if he was about to cry just by talking about losing me.

"Okay dad. Whatever you say." I tried to say but my voice shook with nervousness.

"I knew your mother had problems with you and your brothers. But I always thought that that was because you tree were terribly misbehaved as children, and she has always had a short temper. As you got older I noticed that she never made an effort to do anything with you, or take you any where. So that's when I decided that you were, for lack of a better word, my favourite. I couldn't let you grow up without a parent, and your brothers already had more than everything that they needed. So that's why I took you everywhere with me, and did so many memorable things with you. Because I wanted you to have some good memories. More then just neglect from your mother. Only recently when she started hitting you and yelling at you so much, I asked her why she did this to you. We argued for days about it. Until she told me that she hated you."

The misery and sadness I saw cross his face must have been an exact reflection of mine. I felt awful. Worse than I had ever felt in my life. My mother hated me, and my father had done everything in his power to make her love me. There was no going back. I needed to leave. Being here, in this house full of memories, was just too overwhelming. This was probably the worst week of my entire life, and I just couldn't handle being anywhere near here. I got up from the table and almost ran out of the house. Running down the stairs through the kitchen and out the front door of the bakery.

I kept running until I had no where left to go. Right through the tow square, down the hill, through the seam, past Katniss' house and right to the back of the field, next to the hole in the fence. Laying behind the big tree that was there I didn't think anyone would be able to see me. My father would never come look for me out here.

A few hours past and I guess I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up it was getting dark. I slowly got up and began to walk home, knowing that I was going to face the same thing as this morning. My father trying to get back on my good side, and my mother either yelling at me or not being around. I knew that until I could leave my awful home, that I would be stuck with my mother. There was nothing I could do about it.

The next 3 years of my life were filled with nothing but resentment from my mother. Arguing every time we were together for too long, and just more yelling in the bakery. My father and I never got on as well as we used to, but things were pretty much normal. I spent almost every day at the tree by the hole in the fence. Doing something different every day. Writing, school work, day dreaming, sleeping. Always trying to change things up a little bit.

One day, out behind that big tree that I had spent what seemed like my whole life beside, I saw them. Katniss who was now 14, was walking towards me with Gale Hawthorne. I had never met Gale but he was tall, and handsome. All the girls at school talked about him, giggled when he passed them in the hall, and blushed when he looked at them. Katniss was never one of those girls who dated, but all the other girls were jealous of her. Because she and Gale had become best friends, not them.

"Gale you're such an idiot!" Katniss laughed.

Gales laugh echoed hers as they walked closer and closer to me. It must have been 3:00 if not later. Katniss was carrying her bow and arrows. The same ones her father used to carry with him when he would trade with my father.

"Ladies first." Gale laughed, and gestured towards that same hole in the fence that my father and I went through.

"Well look at that, has a sweet side." Katniss swooned, and she playfully bumped into Gale. Then climbed under the fence.

Gale quickly followed Katniss under the fence, as I slowly found my way to my feet. I began walking, then running, then full out sprinting home. I wanted to be as far away from district 12 as I could possibly get. I'd rather be dead then be here. Seeing that, seeing her with him. The girl who I had been hopelessly in love with since the first time I saw her. To see her with Gale, to be flirting like that with him. She probably didn't even know I existed.

Running into the bakery through the front door I ran up the stairs into my shoe box of a room and curled up on the floor in the corner. As far away from everyone as I could possibly get. I began to cry, knowing that once I started there was no stopping it. The emotions I felt right now was like a tornado had touched down in my heart and was bound and determined to destroy me in every possible way. I love her so much, but I wanted her to be as happy as possible in this hell hole of a district we all called home. Even if she wasn't with me, I wanted her to be happy. I hated Gale Hawthorne. Case closed. I wanted to strangle him, I wanted to drown him, I wanted to take Katniss' bow and shoot him right through the heart with it. But if Gale was the one person that could bring Katniss happiness, if he was the one that she chose to spend her life with, then there was nothing I could do. Even if I had the chance to kill him I couldn't possibly do it now. I couldn't possibly take away Katniss' happiness.

The day slowly came to an end, but I never got off the floor. I never stopped crying.

When I woke up the next morning I was in my bed. I had a pounding headache, and my father was in the chair at the foot of my bed. The scene was all too familiar for my liking.

"Dad?" I asked. Startled by the sound of my own voice. It was rough and scratchy, and it hurt to talk.

"Good Morning, Peeta." He said.

I didn't really know what he wanted so I stayed silent. Looking at him with a perplexed expression.

"Peeta, I found you in here last last night, in the corner, crying." He sighed. "You were almost unconscious, so I doubt that you will remember, but I asked you what was wrong, and you just cried even harder. Would you care to explain now that you're fully conscious?" He sat back down in the chair so I assumed that it was my turn.

"I was out by the tree, in the fer end of the field." I sat up straighter as I talked. "I was just sitting there, looking out into the rest of the field, into the trees. When I heard people walking towards me." I sighed as the tears started again. "It was Katniss and Gale. That boy in the 11th grade. Huge, tall, handsome. You know who I mean. She was walking with him. She had her arrows, she looked more beautiful then ever. Her hair was done up in this beautiful braid that sat almost on the top of her head. She was talking to him like he was her everything. Like they were married. I saw her bum into his arm, and blow if off like an accident. I saw her staring into his eyes. I saw her looking at him as if he was everything she ever wanted."

I wasn't sure who I was talking to now. If I was talking to my father, or if I was talking to myself. My father moved from the chair to the end of my bed and was now sitting with his hands on my feet. The tears came faster now, and I struggled to begin again.

"Seeing her there, with Gale, I realized that I've wasted my entire life loving her. Yet she doesn't even know I exist. Doesn't know that I love her. Doesn't know I've been in love with her. Probably doesn't even know me name."

I crawled out from underneath my blanket and slid my feet to the opposite end of my bed. Laid my head down in my fathers lap, and cried. The scene was again all too familiar. Crying in my room with my father over something that seemed so irrelevant.

We stayed like that for hours. I eventually cried my self back into a dreamless sleep. Pounding headache, and racing pulse did not make for light sleep either.

When I woke up later that afternoon my father was no longer in my room, but my door was open. So I guessed that my mother was out with my brothers. No one in this house got along any more. I rolled out of my uncomfortable bed and found some clean clothes to put on.

Walking into the kitchen I realized that I was here alone. The house and bakery to my self. Being alone in the house wasn't half bad. It was when my family returned, that it got rough. I found a note on the table which I assumed was meant for me, considering the fact that no one else was here. Taking advantage of the empty house I read the note aloud.

"Peeta, your mother and I have gone over to Ann's house for the afternoon, and your brothers have gone to Stephens. I didn't want to wake you, plus I figured you could use some alone time. Love Dad."

The house was suddenly too quiet for safety or comfort. I grabbed my shoes and hurried out the back door. I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing but I know this misery had to end. Walking past the town square, through the seam, past Katniss' house, through the field all the way to my tree. I sat down beside it and for a moment I felt blissfully happy. But slowly the terrible imaged of Katniss and Gale crept into my mind. Immediately the tree was no longer a stop of joy or comfort. I walk back around the tree to the hole in the fence. Crawled under, and then I was off.

Running through the woods, following a somewhat beaten down path, right to the very lake that my father took me to when I was younger. I still didn't know how to swim. But that didn't matter. Sitting down on the same beaten up make shift bench that my father and I sat on years ago, all I could think about was him telling me all about Katniss' mother, and about the first time he knew he was in love with her. The first time I saw Katniss. The first time I heard her sing. The day that I knew I was in love with her. And the day that she destroyed my life.

Crying again I just kept replaying last night in my head. Watching Katniss and Gale walk up to the fence. Katniss yelling at Gale and then bumping into him. Gale blushing like a school girl. Gale telling Katniss to limb under the fence. Katniss complimenting him and then bumping into him, yet again. Gale blushing a deep, deep red, and the quickly following behind her.

I wonder where the went after that? Did they come to the lake? Did they go hunting? Did they go so far away from district 12 that the smell of rotten food and burning coal was no longer there? Maybe they went into another district? Climbed through a hole in their fence. Maybe they had friends in another district. Someone they could run to if they even needed to escape.

The lake became my new place of comfort, leaving the district felt less like a risk every time I crawled under the fence. Coming here, walking around, discovering new spots to relax beyond the fence of our district. Painting, writing, singing with the birds. Taking naps in the trees, looking out over the water, wondering what could possibly be underneath the surface. I wasted all of my time here for years and years. I'd get up in the morning, go to school, deal with people I don't enjoy, pretend I wasn't a tragic wreck inside, and come here and just let it all out, and I wouldn't leave until dark.

Today was Saturday, I would normally have breakfast with my dad and then head down to the lake. But today was no ordinary Saturday. Today was Reaping day. The day where all the children from district 12 were signed up for slaughter. Any of us, ages 12 to 18, male and female, able bodied or not. Names dropped into a dish and picked out by the one and only Effie Trinket.

Once a year, for the past 74 years, children would be signed up for the Hunger Games. For the pure amusement and enjoyment of the Capitol. There was an uprising in district 13, many years ago. They were rebelling against the Capitol, and the Capitol clearly did not approve. So the Capitol destroyed district 13 as a punishment. And as a reminder to every citizen of Panem, as to how much power the Capitol has over us, there are the Hunger Games. 24 tributes, 1 boy and 1 girl from every district, are chosen, prepped, and thrown into an arena where we are forced to fight to the death. In the end, only one lone victor remains.

Katniss' sister, Prim, had just turned 12 a few months back, so of course, this was her first reaping. But the odds of her name being pulled were virtually nothing. I knew kids from school who had their names in 20 or 30 times, because their need for food was more important than having their names entered in the Hunger Games. I personally never had to go through that, signing up for Tesserae, because my family was fortunately, one of the better off families in district 12. But I know Katniss had signed up for it more than once. I was terrified that every year the name the pulled was going to be hers, but thankfully, it never was.

I got out of bed, and did my hair a little nicer then usual. If you were unfortunate soul to get called up onto that stage you at least wanted to look good, for the sake of getting sponsors. My brothers are already over 18, and their names were no longer put into the reaping, so they were still in bed. I hadn't expected them to come to the square either. My mother was still in bed too, I really didn't expect her to come, I honestly didn't want her there. My father, however, was up and ready. He had made me a lovely breakfast, breaking my mothers food rules yet again. He wasn't supposed to use the bacon anymore, ever, especially for me. But what if this was my last meal I ate at home? Wheat if my name was the one Effie picked out of the dish? I had no chance of coming home.

My father and I ate in silence, and the quickly left the house and headed down the the town square. When we arrived we were escorted away from our parents and lead over to a table where our names were taken and blood was drawn from our fingers. We were then organized in our age groups, and sent to the far side of the square where we would wait for our name to be called.

Effie Trinket, the mayor, and the only victor our district has ever had, Haymitch Abernathy. The mayor begins with his story, the same story he tells us every year. Talking about how we as a country rose from the ashes of a place that used to be called North America. The world before us fought its self to death, and here we are today, happy as ever, with no chance of war. I tune out most of his speech, it's old and boring.

As he finishes his speech Effie Trinket rises from her seat, he finishes off with a good luck wish for all of us, and then takes his place next to Haymitch. Effie takes the podium with more excitement then ever. Every year she gets a little more excited about these ruthless killing games.

"Ah, Hello everyone!" She screeches into the microphone with her awful Capitol accent. "May the odds be ever in your favour! Ladies first!"

She scurried over to the dish with all of the girls names. I quickly look around and find Katniss, standing a few rows back from Prim. She takes a deep breath as Effie calls out the first tribute.

"Primrose Everdeen!" She said with as much joy as humanly possible.

It all happened so quick, Prim was already crying, Katniss still hadn't moved. Not even a muscle. Prim began up the aisle, almost to the stairs when Katniss finally came to and realized what was happening. "Prim!" Katniss screamed, as she ran towards her sister. Just as she broke through the crowd of girls the peacekeepers grabbed her, lifted her up and started to carry her out of the town square.

"I volunteer!" She gasped. " I volunteer as tribute!"

The town square was so quite you could have heard a bird call from a mile away. I was speechless as Katniss ran up to her sister, kissed her head, and began walking up the stairs. The look of devastation the she wore was absouloutley heart breaking.

"Well, uhm." Effie struggled to find words for what had just happened. "District 12, your first tribute! Well darling, whats you name?"

"Katniss Everdeen." She whispered.

"Well I bet my hats that, that young girl right there was your sister." Effie smiled. "You're very brave to volunteer for her. She seems lovely."

"She's my baby sister, she isn't doing this." Katniss said.

"Most family devotion only goes so far. But I guess you're one in a million. Congratulations!" Effie cheered. "Now for the boys!"

Effie walked over to the boys dish, my heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. If I was put into these games I would not be able to kill her. My number one goal would be to protect her, keep her safe from the other tributes. If loosing my life was what it cost, then it was worth it for her. She was strong, and she knew how to survive of barley nothing. She could win the games, if she had the right weapons.

"Peeta Mellark!" Effie yelled out across the square.

I knew my life was over, my father was already crying, I could hear his sobs from the back of the square. I could see Gale, watching me as I walked through the crowd or boys. My old friends, kids from my class, and their younger brothers. I looked around as I walked out into the clear aisle that lead right to the bottom for the stairs for the stage.

Effie grabbed my hand as i walked up the stairs. She dragged me across the stage, and sat me down next to Katniss.

Effie began again. "District 12! Meet your tributes of the 74th Hunger games! Lets have a round of applause for these two brave souls!"

But instead of clapping, the did something I never would have imagined. The district 12 sign of respect was something used for heroes and the president. Not for tributes. But today, we broke the rules, yet again. I could still hear my father crying, and I could see Prim with her face buried in her mothers side. It took all of my strength not to cry when my name was called, but what was the use? I was going to cry at one point or another so why not now. Sitting with Katniss I began to cry. My life had changed so completely in just a few minutes. The anthem played and Effie gave district 12 a few final words, and then turned to Katniss and I.

"Well shake her hand! And let the games begin!" Effie squealed.

So there I was, on stage, in front of my whole district.

In front of all of Panem.

Shaking the hand of the girl I love.


End file.
